In Balance Yoga
Registered Yoga School
Faculty
Becky Crigger, Director of In Balance Yoga
Becky Crigger, M.Ed., E-RYT has been teaching yoga since 2003. She has taught in yoga studios in Virginia Beach, Charlottesville, VA and Nashville, TN. From 2005 to 2009 Becky owned and operated Body Balance Studio in Williamsburg, Virginia and recently opened In Balance Yoga Studio in her hometown of Blacksburg, Virginia. In addition to working in studios, Becky has taught yoga to children at Cape Henry Collegiate School, Williamsburg Montessori and in the Williamsburg-James City County school system. Having studied different styles of yoga, under the guidance of James Barkan (Hot Yoga, Vinyasa), Cyndi Lee (Vinyasa), Roger Cole (Iyengar), Leslie Lytle (Prenatal, Iyengar), and Shiva Rea (Vinyasa) Becky brings a well-rounded knowledge to her practice and instruction. She teaches Hot Yoga, Vinyasa, Restorative and Prenatal yoga. Becky's vision for yoga teacher training is to examine two primary lineages of yoga, in the traditions of Bishnu Ghosh (1903 - 1970) of Calcutta and Tirumala Krishnamacharya (1888 -1989) of Mysore and Chennai. These two styles of Hatha yoga are the most popular forms in the United States, and although they differ in points of alignment, presentation, and terminology, they present the same ultimate goal of purification of the body and focus of the mind in order to return the practitioner to their truest, innermost self and therefore connect with the universal self. Becky's first experience with yoga was through Tibetan Buddhist meditation while an undergraduate in the Religious Studies department at the University of Virginia. Since then, she has continued her study of Eastern religion and spirituality and feels confident that this background combined with a master's in education from Vanderbilt University and extensive training in hatha yoga prepares her to provide students with a strong foundation for teaching yoga and a thirst for knowledge to continue in the quest for the true path of yoga.
Dr. Susan Walkley, Anatomy of Yoga
Susan Walkley, Ph. D. has cultivated her interest in the human body and wellness through many careers and movement practices. She took her first yoga classes in 1989 and has practiced and studied hatha yoga in the styles of Bikram and Iyengar. In 1994 she became a New York State licensed and nationally certified massage therapist. For 12 years in New York City she practiced deep tissue, medical and sports massage. During that time she also pursued graduate studies in Medical Anthropology and received a Ph.D. from Columbia University in 2007. Her dissertation researched the treatment of lumbar herniated discs and low back pain, with a focus on alternative and movement therapies, including yoga, massage, Pilates, Feldenkrais and Alexander techniques. She is the author of two book chapters, one on massage in the United States and one on health education. Since 1999, Sue has taught anatomy and physiology to undergraduates (Marymount Manhattan College, New School University), artists (Parsons School of Design), massage therapy students (Swedish Institute of Massage Therapy), Pilates instructors and yoga teachers (Kane School of Core Integration). Work experience as a personal trainer, Pilates instructor, and birth doula adds to her breadth as an innovative and experiential anatomy teacher. In addition, she teaches Medicine and Culture at The College of William & Mary. Since 2007, she has particularly enjoyed teaching prenatal yoga and infant massage classes at Body Balance Studio in Williamsburg.
www.susanwalkley.com
Dr. Graham Schweig, History and Philosophy of Yoga
Graham Schweig, Ph.D. has been a practitioner of yoga for 40 years. Graham was part of the yoga explosion of the sixties, and from that time has traveled to and lived in India several times, learning yoga under the guidance of traditional teachers. He is an author and translator, a leader of yoga seminars and workshops, and a university professor of religion who teaches about the universal messages of the heart. Graham earned his Ph.D. from Harvard University in Comparative Religion, and his specialization is in the areas of the history and philosophy of yoga, the spiritual traditions of India, and the mystical traditions of divine love. He is an internationally sought out speaker and a regularly invited lecturer at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. His scholarly study of sacred Sanskrit literature and his own heart-centered practice of yoga have led him to discover a secret calling within yoga, which is revealed at the deepest level of yoga practice, a "secret love song," that sings to each one of us.
www.grahamschweig.com
